Former Indian batsman and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar sent alarm bells ringing for the Indian cricket team hours before the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup final against South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.
India has not won an ICC trophy since winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 under the majestic captaincy of the legendary MS Dhoni. However, the Men in Blue now have a golden opportunity to end their decade-long drought for the ICC trophy after missing out on the opportunity in the 2023 ODI World Cup last year at home.
Sanjay Manjrekar delves into Ravindra Jadeja’s form ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final
Well, everything is looking very good for Team India except the form of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja and ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, Manjrekar has dropped a bombshell by highlighting the key weakness of the home side ahead of the title clash in Barbados.
Ahead of the IND vs SA final in Barbados on Saturday, Manjrekar highlighted the potential concerns for the Indian cricket team as he believes Rohit Sharma will face challenges in effectively managing bowling resources if the Barbados surface helps the batsmen, especially those in off-form Ravindra Jadeja.
Focusing on the role of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube in the summit clash against the Proteas team, the cricket pundit is opposed to the idea of allowing Jadeja to bowl full quotas of four overs on flat decks in the final.
Manjrekar pointed out that Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are reliable options, and they should bowl their four overs against South Africa, but Jadeja might not be as effective and can add pressure on seam bowlers like Arshdeep Singh.
It will be difficult to give Ravindra Jadeja four overs: Sanjay Manjrekar
He also recalled India’s Super-8 game against Australia, where Indian bowlers faced challenges, and suggested that Hardik should bowl his full quota of overs and Shivam Dube might need to contribute a couple of overs to balance the tactical demands during the critical phases of the high-stakes encounter against South Africa, who are playing finals for the first time.
Sanjay Manjrekar was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying: “I think if the pitch turns out to be very good to bat on, if it’s flat, it will be difficult to give Jadeja four overs. India will have to go to Hardik Pandya. That’s a small weakness that we saw against Australia.”
Manjrekar signed off saying, “Hardik is bowling four overs, Arshdeep Singh is also accepting his consistency. On a flat pitch, seam bowling comes under a bit of pressure. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will bowl four overs, but you can’t rely on Jadeja. Hardik Pandya will have to rise to the occasion, Shivam Dube might have to bowl an over or two.”
It is noteworthy that Jadeja has not contributed significantly to Team India’s run to the 2024 T20 World Cup finals and has been under the radar but has been a regular in the playing XI due to his multi-dimensional role. However, India will now expect Jadeja to go all out after taking just one wicket and scoring 33 runs in seven matches in the tournament.
